Pizza Pockets

Is there a stampede to your kitchen every time you pop some pizza pockets into the oven? Toss the frozen boxed brands, because it’s way more satisfying (for both your belly and bank account) to make pizza pockets from scratch!

We’ve seen other recipes making homemade pizza pockets with store-bought crescent roll or biscuit dough, but we went with pie crust dough for a tender, buttery crust with maximum flakiness. That means you can have home-cooked pizza with no need to knead! Use a cookie cutter to cut out circles of crust and then stuff your mini calzones with ingredients you can feel good about–because you made ’em yourself. We loaded ours with marinara sauce, pepperoni slices, and gooey mozzarella cheese, but anything that can go on a pizza can get packed into one of these savory hand pies. Why not get all hands on deck to help with this fun and easy snack project and let the kids customize their own?

These little saucers are cute as a button, and will definitely pass the taste test for any Totino’s Pizza Rolls or Hot Pockets fans out there.

TipHero

Pizza Pockets

Makes 8-10 pizza pockets
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Two 10-inch pie crust rounds, store-bought or homemade

½ cup marinara sauce, plus more for dipping

24-30 pepperoni slices

½ – ⅔ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg, beaten

Equipment

Round 3-inch cooke cutter

Drinking straw

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Use a cookie cutter to cut circles from both of the pie crust rounds. Take half of the circles and set them aside to use as the tops of the pizza pockets.

Take the remaining half of the pie crust circles and spread about 1 teaspoon of marinara sauce on each. (Be sure to leave a ½-inch border of crust uncovered.)

Place 3 pepperoni slices in the center of each circle, on top of the sauce.

Top the pepperoni on each circle with 1 tablespoon of shredded mozzarella cheese and another teaspoon of marinara sauce.

Brush some of the beaten egg around the outer edge of each circle.

Take the reserved circles of dough and poke a few vent holes in each, using either a drinking straw or a pair of scissors.

Place each circle of dough with vent holes on top one of the circles of dough with toppings and egg wash on it.

Seal the circles together using a drinking glass, your fingers, or a fork.

Brush the top of the pizza pockets with more of the beaten egg.

Place the sealed pizza pockets on your lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pie crust is golden brown.

Serve warm with marinara sauce for dipping.

Chef’s Tip

If you don’t have a round 3-inch cookie cutter, you can place a similarly sized bowl or mug on the dough and cut around it with a sharp knife.

TipHero

How about this homemade Hot Pockets recipe for encouraging us all to swap our favorite processed guilty pleasures for home-cooked goodness? What other store-bought snacks are you learning how to make at home?